Cancer Statistics

Cancer statistics is one of the rare concepts relating to cancer and is of vital importance in carrying out cancer research. Statistics are very important to display the current scenario of cancer in terms of numbers and percentage. It gives a quick review of the number of cancer cases occurring worldwide and highlights the major landmarks achieved in controlling cancerous infections.

Concept of cancer statistics

Statistics for cancer deals with a variety of areas that directly or indirectly relate to an increase or decrease in the number of cancer cases. The figures obtained in statistics are based on empirical methods and scientific calculations.

Statistics are very helpful to sort cancer related data in a manner convenient for ready reference. The data can be disease-wise, year-wise, region-wise or any other parameters that may be important at the time of collecting data. Sorting the number of cancer cases on the basis of gender is quite common as some cancers are more prone in men as compared to women and vice-versa.

Statistics for cancer also talks about the category-wise rise or fall in the number of cancer cases and indirectly reflects the efficiency of cancer treatment for that particular form of cancer.

Dimensions of cancer statistics

Statistics for cancer on different types of variations and the data is collected accordingly. Age is one of the most important factors to be considered while collecting data for statistics related to cancer. The disease is common in adults above 45 years and the samples for survey have to be selected accordingly. Also, the threat of being infected to the cancerous infection increases with age. Thus, statistics is based on various age groups and may vary from time to time.

Another important factor important in calculating statistics for cancer is the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the body. According to studies, HPV has been detected as a major cause in most of the cancer cases irrespective of the origin of cancer cells.
Some cancers are more prevalent in a particular part of the world and less common in other areas. Statistics for such forms of cancer need to be calculated differently and the figures are usually limited to that particular area.

Personal habits like smoking, drinking alcohol and consuming tobacco are some of the other major causes of the disease and must be considered while performing statistics for cancer. Also, statistics prove that the people who are infected by AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) or any other sexually transmitted diseases are more prone to cancer and is considered as an important aspect of cancer statistics.

Important cancer statistics

According to studies conducted by American Cancer Society, almost 78% cancer cases occur in adults aged above 55 years. Almost 68% of the overall cancer patients have a survival rate of at least 5 years and has been showing consistent improvement.

Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer occurring in males and accounts for around 29% of the overall cancer cases. Lung is the second most common form of cancer in males followed by colorectal cancer. They account for around 14% and 9% of the overall cases.
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer occurring in females and accounts for almost 30% of the overall cancer cases. While the overall percentage of lung and colorectal cancer in females is almost similar to that in males.

Lung cancer is the most common cause of death in both males and females and accounts for 28% and 26% of the overall cancer deaths, respectively. Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in males accounting for 11% cancer deaths while the breast cancer is the second most severe cause of cancer deaths in females accounting for almost 15% of the overall cases. But the 5-year survival rate for breast cancer has improved considerably to 90% and is one of the most treatable cancers worldwide.

Development of cancerous cells in children is rare and accounts for less than 1% of the total cancer cases. Though the number of cases have been increasing considerably, contemporary treatments are efficient enough to detect and treat the tumors right in the early stages and prevent their regeneration. A thorough medical examination is a must if any significant symptoms related to cancer are detected.

Cancer statistics act as important indicators to judge the sufficiency and efficiency of the current medicines and treatment patterns related to cancer. It also acts as a data sheet for cancer research and eases the process of calculating life expectancy, survival rate and prognosis of cancer. Statistics should be accurate, reliable and in coordination with the current requirements.